Lately, a few young musicians have asked “Should I have a Facebook fan page?” Usually, I tell them, “Probably.” While Facebook is an evil hellscape designed to offer you nothing but an addiction to the doses of serotonin you get whenever you receive a notification, it still has its uses. Like, if you’re too broke to afford a website (you’re probably not, it’s more affordable than you think), it’s where you can store your info so journalists, bloggers and fans can find out more about you. Also, there are a few billion people on there so there’s potential reach, but tbh, you won’t get it unless you pay for it.
Anyway, the artist you’re being introduced to today doesn’t have a Facebook page, yet I’m still writing about them. Which makes me think that when you just want to make dope music, you probably don’t really worry about how many Facebook fans you have or if journalists can find out info about you. I mean, maybe that’s the point, maybe they’re going for that whole mysterious persona vibe.
Here’s what we know about Bottils from their soundcloud bio: Bottils is a fictional musician from the world of ‘End of the Continent’, a choose-your-own-adventure story set in an alternate history of Cape Town.
So, this could be a Gorillaz type vibe, someone in another band or project working on something on the side, or just someone in their bedroom putting out some sweet electronica as a release from their mundane day job. I have no idea, but I dig the 2 tracks Bottils has put out so far.
Musically, Bottils reminds me of a slower tempo Grimes if she had grown up on South African 80s pop music. It’s emotive electronic pop that you could hear on the radio, but more likely to hear in the car of your friend who is super into 8bit music. There’s something about Bottils’ music that reminds me of my childhood yet still feels new. A familiarity and unfamiliarity that both draw me in to listening to Moschops and To Return over and over again.